Method for operating a telecommunication system and telecommunication arrangement

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method for operating a telecommunication system, including in particular a mobile radio network (PLMN), to provide a service and to obtain information.

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a method for operating a telecommunicationssystem, including in particular a mobile radio network, to provide aservice and to obtain information, as well as an arrangement toimplement this method.

The dramatic development of the technology and infrastructure underlyingmobile radio equipment in recent years has caused mobile communicationto become a characteristic element of daily life in the industrializedcountries. Mobile telephones have now been established far beyond therealm of professional use, as a means of communication for the entirepopulation from juveniles to pensioners. The users of mobile phones arethus largely representative of the population in industrializedcountries as a whole.

One result is that information about the users of mobile phones isextremely valuable, for the manufacturers, retailers and servicers ofconsumer goods as well as for governmental and social agencies etc.

In addition, in view of the high production and hence purchasing costs,everyone involved in mobile radio systems needs to ensure that themobile phone is not only employed as primarily intended, as a means forbilateral transfer of information for the user's professional andprivate purposes, but also becomes more useful by the provision of extraservices. Towards this end, games are incorporated into the mobilephone, and information channels and service offers are provided by thenetwork operators.

Linking of the mobile radio network to the internet has already beenintroduced—at present on the basis of the WAP (Wireless ApplicationProtocol) and employing the simplified data communication language WML(Wireless Markup Language)—and in the near future will open up a greatnumber of new possibilities and further increase the acceptance andutilization of mobile radio technology on one hand, and of the interneton the other hand.

The German patent DE 693 09 682 discloses a hotel communication facilitywith a PABX coupling network, which is capable of responding to a calloriginating in a guest room so as to deliver automatically informationrequested by the caller, or to provide another service. The operatingprocedure of this telecommunications installation comprises the storageof a plurality of terminal-device call numbers belonging to the systemand the generation of primary and secondary (response) messages as wellas evaluation of the primary message, which in this case originates fromthe terminals in the guest rooms. As the end result of working through amenu, a particular item of information is conveyed to the terminal fromwhich the primary message was sent.

The patent DE 198 33 218 A1 describes a telephone game system, onefeature of which is that the participants are counted. In connectionwith this counting, an identification is provided so that when the totalcalls made by a given participant reaches a prespecified number, thatperson can be identified as a winner of the game and notifiedaccordingly. In this procedure, again, there are primary and, inresponse thereto, secondary messages, and depending on the result ofevaluating the primary message transmission of a particular secondarymessage (i.e., notification of winning) can be initiated.

The patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,369 discloses a so-called audiotexservice in which the items on offer are presented in a displayresembling a radio station finder. By pressing particular keys on atelephone keyboard, the user can set memory markers and thus call up aselection of the information available. Here, too, a primary message issent out by the user's terminal and in response, following evaluation ofthe primary message, a secondary message is produced and sent out by thesystem processor.

The patent DE 198 19 582 A1 presents a teaching about thelocation-dependent provision of services within a mobile radio network,in particular the location-dependent charges imposed or the performanceof route- or region-related tasks. By evaluating information regardingthe location of the participant, from a service plan that describes thelocation dependence of the services provided, a current service profileapplicable to the participant is derived. From this there can be deriveda message to be transmitted to the participant.

In this context, it is the objective of the invention to disclose amethod for operating a telecommunications system, including inparticular a mobile radio network, with which in an ingenious linkagethat ensures a high degree of user acceptance an attractive service isoffered, while on the other hand information can be collected about theperson making use of this offer. A further objective of the invention isto disclose an arrangement suitable for implementing this method.

This objective is achieved with respect to its methodological aspect bya method with the characteristics given in Claim 1 and with respect tothe apparatus by an arrangement with the characteristics given in Claim13.

The invention includes the essential idea that in a multi-stage sequenceof reaction and response steps, users of telecommunications terminals(in particular mobile telephones) are presented with a specific set ofin particular recreation-oriented services, and in case of a positiveresponse the recreation-oriented service is immediately provided to theuser by way of his terminal, during which process particular items ofinformation are obtained and stored. This information comprises inparticular the (verified) user call number, the geographic region inwhich the user is located, and where appropriate information about theindividual, his leisure interests, his requirements regarding goods andservices, etc. There are many possible ways of accomplishing this,depending on the nature of the services (forms of recreation) on offerand the kinds of information transmitted in this connection. Theprovider using the proposed system can therefore satisfy the informationrequirements of customers in a differentiated manner, given that themethod is suitably implemented. Moreover, advertisements can beincorporated into the transmitted information, which further enhance theeconomical value of the proposed invention.

In a first preferred embodiment, which can fundamentally be implementedin cooperation with network operators, as a first call-number databaseat least one home location register or a visitor location register of acellular mobile radio network can be used. In this variant, therefore,the method starts with an already verified quantity of user callnumbers. As an alternative—without making use of the information base ofa network operator—the method can start on the basis of arbitrarilysynthesized numbers, or prespecified ranges of call numbers can be“scanned out”.

For application with a mobile radio network, information regarding thecurrent location of the user, based on the position of his terminal, canbe obtained from his allocated place in the visitor location register ofa special mobile switchboard or else from the connection status withrespect to a special base station of the network. It is known that thedynamic cell structure of mobile radio networks allows a specific userto be located. Here again, however, an appropriate implementation of themethod is possible only in collaboration with the network operator, whohas the relevant information at his disposal and, where its use isconcerned, is subject to both legal stipulations and rules anchored inthe system standard. When the method is applied in a public land-basednetwork, spatial information can relatively easily be generated on thebasis of the geographical reference encoded by the telephone number.

The messages exchanged within the scope of the method can be transmittedin speech or text form—the latter according to the permitted standards,for example SMS (Short Message Service) and WAP (Wireless ApplicationProtocol) in the GSM mobile network. The choice of a specific formatwill depend on the nature of the service on offer and the target group,but also on the further technical development with respect to thetransmission and display of text messages.

In an embodiment of the method that comprises more than two stages, inparticular the secondary messages—in addition to the primarymessages—contain requests for a response, and in the server means areprovided for evaluating the response message thus obtained and forstoring the results of the evaluation.

In a preferred design of the method the recreational service beingoffered is a game or quiz or a service to pave the way for relationshipsbetween individual users of the telecommunications system (forminginterest groups, making new acquaintances, etc.). Here the primarymessage gives the basic information and inquires whether the user beingaddressed is willing to participate. With the very first responsemessage the service operator receives valuable information consisting atleast in the verification of a previously arbitrarily generatedtelephone number and/or information about the location of the personinvolved, as well as in the fact that this individual is interested inthe specified offer. Subsequently one or more secondary messages areused to provide the rules for the game or information as to its progressand—given a suitable internal structure of the game or knowledgecontest, or of the criteria for initiating personal relationships—toderive additional information from the messages received in response andstore it in the database for evaluation results.

In an advantageous design of the method this process generatesindividual user profiles, which on one hand, in the case of a servicefor creating personal relationships, are used to implement this service,and on the other hand represent valuable information for commercialclients of the service provider.

In an especially advantageous implementation of the method the databasefor evaluation results is used to filter the secondary messages independence on the items of information received along with the responsemessages. The progress of the game or contest or the initiation ofrelationships is thereby made dependent on the current status of theinformation in each case.

In another preferred embodiment the secondary messages—at least in somestages of the method—are produced by employing memory contents of thedatabase for evaluation results. This also enables cross-connectionsbetween individual memory regions to be produced, such that forexample—naturally after the affected person has presented an appropriatedeclaration of agreement—telephone numbers of unfamiliar subscribers tothe telecommunications system are given to a participant in the game. Onthis basis it is also possible to organise partner games under thedirection of the service provider, who also monitors the results andfinally determines the ranking of the participants and assigns theprizes.

An arrangement for implementing the proposed method is distinguished inparticular by the presence of a first and a second call-number databaseas well as a database for evaluation results, such that the secondnumber database and the evaluation database accumulate the user-relatedinformation acquired as the execution of the method proceeds. A primary-and a secondary-message memory—the latter of which can store thesecondary-messages in a hierarchically stacked arrangement—constitutethe system-side database employed as the method proceeds, and aprogress-control unit incorporated into the server as well as one ormore server terminals are used to implement the method. The term “serverterminal” should be understood, depending on the specific design of thearrangement, to mean a telecommunications terminal device or adata-communication terminal or a data-communication interface.

In an arrangement constructed for an especially rational implementationof the method, a primary-message synthesis unit and/or asecondary-message synthesis unit is/are provided to automatically orsemiautomatically synthesise the speech and text of the messages on thebasis of information either programmed in or read out from a database.It is of course also possible to implement the method within theorganisational framework of a call centre, in which case each of theagents makes use of the information stored in the message memories andthe call-number databases.

Depending on the particular form taken by the method, the relevantdatabases also include a database for the rules of the game or for theanswers to questions in a knowledge contest, etc. It has been pointedout above that in an advantageous embodiment of the method the databasefor evaluation results and the second call-number database are connectedto the secondary-message synthesis unit, or can be accessed by an agentin the call centre in case the method is being carried out by a person.

An efficient means of implementing the method is to send out, at leastphase-wise, a plurality of messages in parallel, in particular by meansof the cell broadcast method. On this basis it is also possible to playgames in which it is a matter of the quickness of the participants'responses or of concluding the game as a whole as rapidly as possible.

Other advantages and useful features of the invention will be evident inthe subordinate claims and in the following description of a preferredexemplary embodiment of the invention with reference to the figure. Thefigure is a schematic drawing to show an arrangement for implementingthe method by way of the Internet and, connected thereto, a GSM mobileradio network PLMN.

The structure of the mobile radio network PLMN is known per se and neednot be explained in detail here. Mobile stations (mobile phones) MS arelinked within a dynamic cell structure, each being connected by way of abase station BTS/BSC to a mobile switching centre MSC. To the mobileswitching centre MSC are assigned a plurality of databases; thosesketched in the figure are the equipment identity register EIR, theauthentication centre AUC, the home location register HLR and thevisitor location register VLR.

The mobile switching centre MSC is connected to other mobile radionetworks PLMN—also at an international scale—by way of an internationalswitching centre ISC. The mobile switching centre MSC also communicates,by way of a first gateway mobile switching centre GMSC, with the publicswitched telephone network PSTN or an ISDN telephone network ISDN, andby way of a second gateway mobile switching centre GMSC it is linked tothe system belonging to the provider of a service in the framework ofthe present invention, as described below in-greater detail.

The service provider operates a server S, which by way of a serverterminal SS—for example, a data interface of suitable capacity—isconnected to the gateway mobile switching centre GMSC of the mobileradio network PLMN. The server S comprises a controller SC, by way ofwhich the execution of the method proceeds.

To the server S is assigned a first call-number database CNDB1, whichobtains its supply of data from the home location register and thevisitor location register belonging to the mobile switching centre MSC.The server S also has access to a second call-number database CNDB2, thedata content of which is gradually built up as the method is carriedout. In a primary message store PMS is deposited a primary message orset of primary messages, which is/are generated on the basis of contentprespecified in a primary-message synthesis unit PMG.

Also associated with the server S is a secondary-message store SMS, inwhich individually addressable memory regions contain a plurality ofsecondary messages that have been generated by a secondary-messagesynthesis unit SMG. In a special embodiment, in which the method isemployed for the playing of a game, generation of the secondary messagesby the secondary-message synthesis unit involves input of the game-ruledata content of a game-rule database GDB, which is drawn in dashedoutline to indicate that it is optionally provided.

On the output side the server S is connected to an evaluation unit EU toevaluate the response messages received by way of the server terminalSS, the output of which is connected to an evaluation-result databaseERDB. This is accessible from outside—as symbolized by an arrow pointingoutward—according to certain rules established with the serviceprovider. The evaluation unit EU is additionally connected to an inputof the secondary-message synthesis unit SMG, so that the evaluationresults can be incorporated into the generation of secondary messages.

The way in which the illustrated arrangement functions will be evidentfrom the above general discussion of the execution of the method.

The implementation of the invention is not restricted to the arrangementpresented here as an example or to the method described and applicationscited above, but is equally possible in a large number of modificationsthat are within the competence of a person skilled in the art.

List of reference symbols AUC Authentication centre BTS Basetransceiving station BSC Base station controller CNDB1 First call-numberdatabase CNDB1 Second call-number database EIR Equipment identityregister ERDB Evaluation-result database EU Evaluation unit GDBGame-rule database GMSC Gateway MSC HLR Home location register ISCInternational switching centre ISDN ISDN telephone network MS Mobilestation MSC Mobile switching centre OMC Operation and maintenance centrePLMN Public land mobile network PMG Primary-message syntheis unit(generator) PMS Primary-message storage PSTN Public switched telephonenetwork S Server SC Service controller SMG Secondary-message syntheisunit (generator) SMS Secondary-message storage SS Server terminal VLRVisitor location register

1. A method for operating a telecommunications system, including amobile radio network, to provide a service and to obtain information,comprising: storing a plurality of terminal call numbers of thetelecommunications system in a first call-number database comprising atleast one visitor location register of the mobile radio network, themobile radio network generating a primary message for initiating acommunication, the primary message comprising at least one informationcomponent, a response request standardized in accordance with anevaluation algorithm for producing a plurality of secondary messages,and a call number of a server terminal, storing the primary message in aprimary-message store of a server, the mobile radio network producingthe plurality of secondary messages associated with the primary message,the plurality of secondary messages having content dependent on one ormore of (a) at least one information element in a response messageproduced in reaction to the primary message, and (b) a terminal callnumber associated with the response message, and (c) a geographicposition of a terminal reacting to the primary message, and depositingthe plurality of secondary messages in a secondary-message store, theserver terminal initiating the communication by sending, sequentially orin parallel, the stored primary message to the call numbers stored inthe first call-number database, receiving response messages by theserver terminal with recording of a sender's call number and ageographic position of a sender's terminal, evaluating each receivedresponse message according to the evaluation algorithm and creating anevaluation result, storing the sender's call number in a storage regionof a second call-number database, storing the evaluation result and thegeographic position in association with the sender's call number in anevaluation-result database to generate individual user profiles,addressing a storage region of the secondary-message store depending onthe evaluation result and readout of the stored secondary message aswell as the associated storage region in the second call-number databaseto the server terminal and sending the stored secondary message to thesender's terminal during the communication, wherein an approximategeographic position of the sender's terminal is found from one of (a)the terminal's place in the visitor location register of a specialmobile switching center and (b) from the status of its connection to aspecial base station of the mobile radio network.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the information component of the primarymessage comprises information about rules of a game or at least onequestion, and the response request comprises a request for speech ortext input.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the primarymessage or the secondary messages are formulated as in particularsynthetic speech or text messages in SMS or WML format for output by wayof a receiver cap or display, respectively, of a mobile telephone. 4.The method according to claim 1, wherein the secondary messages compriseresponse requests, and the steps involved in reception and evaluation ofresponse messages as well as in storing the evaluation result arerepeated after the secondary messages have been sent, on multipleoccasions separated by the sending of follow-up messages.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 4, wherein at least some of the sequentiallytransmitted secondary messages contain information regarding theprogress of the game or questions, and at least some of the variousresponse messages contain information regarding moves to be made in thegame or answers.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein by way ofthe evaluation-result database a filter device associated with thesecondary-message store is controlled in such a way as to filter outsecondary messages depending on information received with the responsemessages.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein secondary messagesare produced from contents of memory in the evaluation-result database.8. The method according to claim 7, wherein depending on the resultobtained by evaluating a plurality of response messages, at least oneunfamiliar terminal call number or an evaluation result concerning anunfamiliar user of the telecommunication system is integrated intosecondary messages.
 9. The method according to claim 1, whereindepending on the result obtained by evaluating a plurality of responsemessages, identical secondary messages are sent to a plurality ofdifferent terminal call numbers from the second call-number database.10. An arrangement for operating a telecommunications system, includinga mobile radio network, comprising: a server with a control unit and atleast one server terminal, a first call-number database, that comprisesone of at least one home register and at least one visitor locationregister of the mobile radio network, the first call-number databaseconfigured to store a plurality of terminal call numbers of thetelecommunications system, the plurality of terminal call numbersincluding a user's call number, a second call-number database configuredto store the user's call number, a primary-message and asecondary-message store associated with the server, wherein the at leastone server terminal is capable of (a) initiating a communication bysending a primary message to the plurality of terminal call numbers and(b) sending a secondary message to the user's call number responding tothe primary message, an evaluation unit to evaluate response messagesthat are received from the user's call number, an evaluation-resultdatabase connected to the evaluation unit, wherein the evaluation-resultdatabase is configured to store an evaluation result and a geographicposition in association with the user's call number to generateindividual user profiles, wherein the primary message comprises at leastone information component, a response request standardized in accordancewith an evaluation algorithm for producing a plurality of secondarymessages, and a call number of the at least one server terminal, andwherein the secondary message comprises a content depending on one ormore of (a) at least one information element in a response messageproduced in reaction to the primary message, and (b) a terminal callnumber associated with the response message, and (c) a geographicposition of a terminal reacting to the primary message.
 11. Thearrangement according to claim 10, wherein for an automatic sequentialor parallel transmission of primary or secondary messages, the first orsecond call-number database is connected to a control input of at leastone server terminal.
 12. The arrangement according to claim 10, whereinfor an automatic evaluation of the response messages, the evaluationunit is connected to a data output of each server terminal.
 13. Thearrangement according to claim 10, wherein a primary-message synthesisunit or a secondary-message synthesis unit for computer-assistedgeneration of primary or secondary messages, constructed as aspeech-synthesis unit or a text-synthesis unit operate according to anSMS or WML standard.
 14. The arrangement according to claim 10, whereinthe telecommunications system is designed as a mobile radio system orcomprises an IP network linked to a mobile radio network by way of agateway mobile switching center.
 15. The arrangement according to claim10, further comprising a random-variable generator connected to oneinput of the first call-number database.
 16. The arrangement accordingto claim 13, further comprising a game-rule database connected to oneinput of the primary-message synthesis unit or the secondary-messagesynthesis unit.
 17. The arrangement according to claim 10, wherein theevaluation-result database is connected to a control input of a filterdevice associated with the secondary-message store.
 18. The arrangementaccording to claim 16, wherein the secondary-message synthesis unitincludes an input side connected to an output of the evaluation unit orof the evaluation-result database.
 19. The arrangement according toclaim 16, wherein the secondary-message synthesis unit includes an inputside connected to the second call-number database.
 20. The arrangementaccording to claim 10, wherein the control unit and the server terminalare designed for sending in parallel a plurality of primary messages orsecondary messages, by a cell broadcast method.
 21. A method foroperating a mobile radio system, said mobile radio system comprising aserver terminal having at least one server terminal call numberassociated therewith and a plurality of mobile terminals, each mobileterminal having a mobile terminal call number associated therewith, saidserver terminal having a user profile database that comprises aplurality of records, each record in said user profile database beingassociated with one mobile terminal, said method comprising: storing aplurality of said mobile terminal call numbers in at least one visitorlocation register of said mobile radio system; generating and storing,at said server terminal, a primary message in a primary message store,said primary message comprising at least one information component, saidserver terminal call number and a response request standardized inaccordance with an evaluation algorithm for producing at least one of asecondary message and at least one follow-up message; determining, atsaid server terminal, at least one mobile terminal call number in saidfirst plurality of mobile terminal call numbers having no record in saiduser profile database associated therewith; initializing communicationwith a target mobile terminal having one of said at least one mobileterminal call number by sending said stored primary message to saidmobile terminal call number; generating and sending, at said targetmobile terminal, a first response message in response to said primarymessage comprising at least one information element; receiving, at saidserver terminal, said first response message from said target mobileterminal; determining, at said server terminal, an approximategeographic position of said target mobile terminal based on informationpertaining to said target mobile terminal stored in said visitorlocation register; generating, at said server terminal, said secondarymessage, the content of which depends on said approximate geographicposition of said target mobile terminal and said at least oneinformation element of said first response message; sending, at saidserver terminal, said secondary message to said target mobile terminal;generating and sending, at said target mobile terminal, a secondresponse message in response to said secondary message, said secondresponse message comprising at least one information element; receiving,at said server terminal, said second response message; generating, atsaid server terminal, said at least one follow-up message; sending, atsaid server terminal, said at least one follow-up message to said targetmobile terminal; generating and sending, at said target mobile terminal,at least one third response message in response to said at least onefollow-up message; receiving, at said server terminal, said at least onethird response message; generating, at said server terminal, anindividual user profile in association with said target mobile terminaland storing in said user profile database a record comprising: said atleast one mobile terminal call number, data indicative of saidapproximate geographical position, and data extracted from at least oneof said first response message, said second response message and said atleast one third response message; wherein at least one of said secondaryand said at least one follow-up message contains information about agame and at least one of said second response message and of said thirdresponse message contains information regarding moves of said game.